(1) Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an arrangement for locking and ejecting a movable furniture part comprising two unlockable ejection devices arranged at both sides on a furniture body or on the movable furniture part, and spring-loaded ejectors, wherein the unlockable ejection devices have a latching element mounted on a linearly displaceable carriage, wherein the latching element engages into a heart curve-shaped sliding guide path, by way of which the movable furniture part can be held in a closed latching position with or by way of a locking element arranged on the carriage, and wherein the latching position can be released by overpressing the movable furniture part inwardly. The invention further concerns an unlockable ejection device for such an arrangement.
(2) State of the Prior Art
Devices have already been long been known in furniture fitment design which can lock movable furniture parts, in particular drawers, by way of a so-called touch-latch mechanism. In that case the furniture fitments are of such a design that when the drawer is closed unlocking of the drawer is effected by additionally pressing the drawer in (overpressing), whereby the drawer is ejected by a storage means which is loaded up in the closing movement (generally a spring).
If such an individual fitment is used on one side of a relatively wide drawer the overcoming point or release point of the touch-latch mechanism can differ depending on the respective distance of the point at which the drawer is touched. That often results in the movable furniture part adopting a skew position, which is undesirable.
In that respect for example EP 1 785 063 A1 has already proposed a solution, wherein there is provided a torsion rod which allows direct transmission of movement of a pivotable locking mechanism from one side of the drawer to the other side. A similar configuration is known from EP 1 887 172 A2. AT 502 937 A1 also concerns an actuating device arranged at each of two sides on an article of furniture for moving movable furniture parts (a flap), wherein the two actuating devices for synchronous movement thereof are motionally coupled together by a synchronization rod.
A disadvantage with those structures is that those furniture fittings require a very great deal of space as they are arranged behind the drawer, whereby the drawer cannot extend completely to the end of the furniture body. In addition the separate implementation of the locking and ejection devices means that an increased amount of space is required whereby only the locking elements are motionally coupled directly by way of the synchronization rod. In EP 1 785 063 A1 the actual ejector is arranged in the region of the extension guide assembly (see reference 23), whereby that ejection movement cannot be synchronized by way of the torsion rod. As a result the entire movable furniture part also assumes skew positions upon ejection as unlocking is admittedly effected substantially simultaneously by the direct transmission of movement with the torsion rod, but the ejection forces can occur differently and independently of each other on both sides (slightly delayed unlocking, differing ejection force in the energy storage means, a skew position of the drawer already occurring upon triggering), whereby that involves non-uniform ejection on the two sides and the drawer is in a skew position during ejection or begins to assume a skew position and in the worst-case scenario can even become wedged in the furniture body.
A particular disadvantage in the state of the art is that the ejection travel distance is very long by virtue of the heart curve being present only at one side, particularly if the drawer is to be opened by overpressing on the diagonally opposite side. More specifically, in that case the overpressing force first has to be passed along the drawer to the end to the contact element. From there the torsion rod is caused to rotate, in which case twisting can occur when the drawer is a wide drawer. It is only then that the movement is passed to the locking element with the heart curve, wherein after overpressing unlocking occurs and, after the movement is returned, both locking elements are unlocked and the drawer can be ejected.
It is further known from the state of the art to provide two unlockable ejection devices which are not synchronized, whereby, when the drawer is in an inclined position, unlocking at only one side can occur, particularly in the case of wide drawers, and that can lead to a problem. For example AT 503 497 A1 relates to a device for locking and ejecting movable furniture parts with spring-loaded ejectors (springs, ejection element) and a latching element (locking element), which engages into a heart curve-shaped sliding guide path on a housing and can be released by pressing inwardly (using the touch-latch principle). The arrangement includes a pull-in device. There is no provision for motional coupling by way of a rotatable synchronization rod.